Known weather resistant anti-slip panels are, typically formed from rigid wood panels, for example of plywood or the like weather vulnerable material, to the working surface only of which an anti-slip aggregate of sharp, aluminium oxide or silicon carbide particles is bonded with a resin bonding agent. These panels are used outside or inside where an anti-slip surface has to be maintained in adverse, slippery conditions. Weather resistant anti-slip panels may, for example, be used as stair treads, and thus the panels have to be sufficiently rigid for the mechanical requirements of such an given application. The aggregate has to maintain its anti-slip over time in the aforesaid conditions and is thus of very hard, sharp particulate material. All the outer surfaces are coated so as to protect and enhance the weather durability of the wooden substrate. Weather resistant anti-slip panels are now being made with a rigid synthetic or weather resistant substrate, such as glass reinforced plastic, that does not need to be weather proofed and are provided with the anti-slip coating restricted to the working surface or surfaces. The problem with known weather resistant anti-slip panels is that the anti-slip coating particles, being very hard, make the anti-slip coating very difficult to cut or drill, as it readily and speedily blunts a cutting tool. Consequently, weather resistant anti-slip panels are currently either only made to standard sizes or shapes or to specified sizes and shapes and with pre-specified placement of fixing holes, in each case being cut, drilled or otherwise formed prior to application of the anti-slip coating. The standard sized panels obviously limit usage and the special sized panels are, obviously, more expensive to produce. People do attempt to cut or drill weather resistant anti-slip panels on site, using angle grinders, diamond cutters, carbide-tipped twist drills and similar special tools; but generally without success, as even the special tools are damaged and blunted by the anti-slip aggregate and the consequent aesthetics are consequently poor.
Document GB 2200578 A (Armstrong World Industries Inc.) discloses a surface covering product which comprises a substrate material, an impervious coating upon said material, and raised elements selectively printed upon said coating, which raised elements comprise or are derived from a thixotropic plastic containing particles of solid material. Such product creates embossed-in-register features without the need for chemical or mechanical embossing materials. Substrate materials are described as being “Any substrate may be employed in the product and method of the invention, more especially, any of the substrates normally employed in the field. A suitable substrate may be the plastisol-saturated glass mat described in Example 1 below, or a wet-laid felted sheet, also common in the surface covering art” (page 6, lines 3 to 8). The solid particles are described as being “an organic material such, for example as rubber or a plastic material, such as vinyl resin, or an inorganic materials such as, silica quartz.” (page 11, lines 15 to 19).
Document W0 96/03270 A (Custom Plastics Molding Inc.) discloses a “thermoformed plastic product such as a track bed liner, having an anti-slip surface is formed. A clean surface of a sheet of, for example HDPE, is masked. Droplets of a sprayable or liquid polymer, such as a thermosetting elastomeric polymer are sprayed or otherwise applied onto the exposed masked off surface area. The droplets form a stippled pattern of primarily separate bumps which upon hardening are hard, but not brittle. After partial hardening of the bumps, the plastic sheet is thermoformed.” (Abstract).
Document, U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,900 A (Doscher) discloses an “anti-skid mat for placement upon a slippery surface comprising a resilient matrix sheet member having a top surface and a bottom surface. An abrasive structure on the bottom surface of the resilient matrix sheet member is for preventing slippage of the resilient matrix sheet member on the slippery support surface.”(Abstract).
None of these documents disclose the rigid substrates or hard, sharp particles required by the above described weather resistant anti-slip panels and thus do not exhibit the described technical problem of being difficult or impossible to work, that is to cut or drill on-site.